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Quintuple double, lol! 53 points, 32 rebounds, 16 assists, 24 blocks and 11 steals. This is one among many of his records that will remain till eternity.
The beta release of Chat GPT said Wilt was the GOAT basketball player (period) The AI engine was tinkered with to reflect people's opinion on who had the greatest career as the GOAT.
Wilt is disgustingly underrated... they have to create false narratives and say the GOAT is made by alternative criteria like Championships to make up for the fact that the other players in the discussion flatly have inferior stats. Wilt buries everyone else in an objective discussion of statistics. Sure, Jordan has 1/20 of one point more points per game than Wilt and 0.9 more assists per game (as a center... vs a ball handling guard) ... but Wilt more than triples Jordan's rebounds per game and averages (unofficially) 8.2 more blocked shots per game. Overall, statistically Wilt crushes Jordan. You can point at championships if you want to, or that mythical killer instinct, or MVPs... but none of those are objective-- that 22 RPG vs 6.2 RPG stat... that is objective.
Wilt didn't play against anybody... I mean besides Bill Russell, Oscar Robertson, Jerry West, and Kareem... 4 of the top 15 or so players of all time... oh and Elgin Baylor he might be in the top 15 too... oh and Willis Reed, Nate Thurmund, Bob Cousy, Bob Pettit and John Havlicek... they're all in the top 50 or so... oh and Elvin Hayes and Bob Mcadoo they are top tier Hall of Famers. So... nobody, I guess.
This closest thing to Wilt I've ever seen would be something like David Robinson pre-injury. But Wilt was slightly taller, faster and a lot stronger than Robinson. His only two weaknesses were his free throw shooting of course and he could be a bit.. mercurial.. in his motivation to play at 100%. I think he just got bored a lot.
People like to say that Wilt played against short firemen and plumbers ut nothing could be further than the truth. Most fans don't know that players were measured form their height barefoot when they entered the NBA. In 1973 that changed to being measured with basketball shoes on, adding a little over an inch to a player's height. That was significant because it meant a player like Bill Russell would have been measured at 6'11", not 6'9" as was previously thought (Russell was actually 6'9 and 3/4" tall barefoot). So Wilt would actually be measured at over 7'2" if not taller after '73, Walt Bellamy, another great center during Wilt's era would have been measured at over 7' after '73, and the great Willis Reed would have been measured at 6'11" after '73. Overall, Wilt's era was more like the Golden Age of the NBA center and was far from an era with short plumbers and firemen at center. 💯
As a kid I either listened to or watched Russell vs Wilt almost every time they played. Wilt was indeed more gifted athletically but for some reason for ever as in year after year when it came down to it in the 4th quarter Russell won. Wilt was Great but Russell was/is the Goat.
The two greatest players in NBA history had the luxury of playing against each other for most of their careers. If personal statistics is your measuring rod, then Wilt Chamberlain was and still is the greatest of all time. If winning championships is your measure of greatness, then Bill Russell was, and still is the greatest of all time. Wilt was indeed a monster who, in his prime would dominate today just as he did then. Would Bill Russell? I don't know. But Mr. Russell amassed his championship playing in a league dominated by Wilt.
My favorite quote from Chamberlain on why Jordan couldn't be the NBA goat was this one, “The difference between you and me is that they had to change the rules for me so I couldn't dominate. They changed the rules so that you could.”
Wilt was a standout Track star too.....He could long jump 22 feet and high Jump 6'6".....:49.0 in the 440....1:58.3 in the 880 and put the shot 53'4"......he could have been a decathlete.....
Wilt was a world class athlete who was stronger than any player ever. He could touch the top of the backboard - 13 feet above the floor with three inches to spare. He benchwd 505. Ran the 440 in under 50 seconds. High jumped 6 ft. 6. Olympuc quality long jump. He would have averaged more points but was told by his coach to pass more after they kept losing in the finals You cant go by rings to say who is the goat in a team sport. You are only as good as your team.
Saw Wilt standing on the NE corner of Yonge & Bloor in Toronto one Summer (late 70s . early 80s) 'n thought there was an extra column until there was movement when the traffic light changed, an impressive presence .. !
Wilt played in an era where the players he went up against had no chance, he was so much better, bigger, stronger. The only player that you could compare him to back then was Bill Russel, after that, there's not much else, yes he put up huge numbers but Wilt was all about Wilt, when you score 100 points it goes to show how bad his competition was and how much of a hun he was. If Wilt had played in the era of the 80's, 90's, 2000's he would be a great player no doubt but he would not produce the numbers he did when he played in his era because the players were so much better during the era's I mentioned with the likes of Moses Malone, Ewing, Kareem, Hakeem, Parish, Laimber, Robinson, Walton, and lets not forget Greg Kite,,,,, ok, last one was a joke
You failed to consider the narrower lane, three second rules and Wilt's MPG and FT stats. Also there was a greater volume of shots in his era. Check out his per 36 MPG playoff stats--significantly lower than his regular season stats. But his rebound stats jump off the page, and he's the best defensive big man I ever saw before Hakeem came along. He backed off once after receiving three fouls, and he hated taking charging fouls--I learned this from Phil Jackson. And Wilt was often a huge detriment to his team due to his poor FT shooting, which also tells you something about his shooting--he was not as good a scorer as Kareem later in his career. I picture Wilt as a combo Shaq/DeAndre Jordan. A great, great player, but flawed, and hard to call him the GOAT IMO.
Probably refers to the fact that most players today don't keep their hand atop the ball while performing the crossover, they carry it to change its direction, which is a violation (palming, carrying)
Basketball was a much better game when Wilt played. Take the palming, double (and triple) dribbles and traveling and today's guys are lost. The three point play came from the ABA and should have died with the league.
